Feeding discomfort

[Sal1105]

My 15 week old ds is having a nightmare each feed. Any advice would be appreciated. He is fed at 7am(ish), 11am, 3pm and 6.40pm before bed at 7pm. The last feed at night we give him hungry baby formula and he's been sleeping until about 5.30am. He will usually have between 8 and 9 floz. Lately though, he's been having a really hard time during the second half of the feed. He starts arching his back, kicking and crying. It used to be a few farts that caused this - you could hear them - now, though, nothing. I can hear him now (my dh is handling it tonight), poor lamb is screaming. It seems to be the teat/sucking that causes it and also stops it. He's hungry but can't eat. Then he gets so worked up he falls asleep only having half the bottle. This is in the day time, too, not just the bedtime feed. Are we not feeding him enough and he's so hungry he's gulping? What can it be? It's really distressing for him and us. I was in tears at 11am feed he was screaming so much. Poor lamb.....

Which bottles and teat flow are you using?

Would you consider taking him to see a cranioesteopath.

I looked after a baby once that had a speedy/traumatic entry into the world and he has compression in his neck which manifested as feeding issues at 8wks, he was a big boy.

How long has he been doing it for? Is he being sickier than usual after or between feeds? I only ask because ds1 picked up a tummy bug at a similar age and would do the same thing. There wasn't anything obviously wrong apart from a bit more sicking up than usual and he was pretty chirpy during the day. It seemed as though feeding gave him a tummy ache but I remember crying my eyes out and begging him to feed.

Have you tried giving him a dummy or your finger to suck when he's refusing the bottle? It may be that he wants to suck but the milk is causing him grief.

Hi - we're using Avent bottles and number 3 teats. When he's not doing what I describe he's fine. Nice smooth feed (usually the one that my dh does at 7am!) usually for the first 4 floz then it all goes wrong. He's been like this off and on for a couple of months. Cranioesteopath sounds interesting - I'd consider that. I don't think his birth was particularly speedy or traumatic. He was 9.2 when he was born. I look into Cranioesteopthehothohtesth.

Thanks Olihan. The only thing that calms him is a dummy. When he's calm again I'll try a bit more and he seems eagre, then it all goes pear shaped again. He hasn't been sick but he did have bit of runnier than normal pooh today, but this has been going on for much longer. He's his normal chirpy self most of the time???

Could you drop back to size 2 teats for a couple of days Sal1105?